The bitter conflict in Ukraine has cost thousands of lives, but the Russian government has continuously denied sending its soldiers to the frontlines, despite accusations to the contrary from NATO and Western officials.

VICE News travels to Russia to investigate the mysterious deaths of dozens — possibly hundreds — of active-duty Russian servicemen who are believed to have been killed in Ukraine. Accounts gathered from soldiers’ families, human rights workers, and government officials cast doubt on the Kremlin narrative, revealing the unacknowledged sacrifices borne by Russia’s ghost army.

In part two of a three part series, VICE News meets soldiers' families who are trying to find out what happened to their loved ones. They have many questions, but with little answers from the Russian government. Meanwhile, a handful of soldiers have reappeared in interrogation videos, after being captured on Ukrainian soil.